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This Is Madness 2 - Imperium Sine Fine (Interactive Mega Campaign)

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Senator Marcus Arrius

I have disgraced myself by not wanting to keep the Captain waiting? You accuse me as if I intended to keep the information for myself. We could not all open the letter together. I simply chose to open it for us. The Speaker must be willing to make deals with the other Factions for the good of the Imperium, and be able to keep a cool mind. If you believe Kastelos will do a better job of this than me, support him.
 
{{ A sudden breeze blows through the meeting. Everyone shivers slightly as a hollow voice calls out upon the wind "Vote for Quintus Mojmirid as the Blue Dem leader." As the voice ceases so to does the wind.}}

{{Because you know you want a complete unknown as your leader. :D}}
 
{ OOC: Due to the mandate of italics, I will underline words I would have italicized for emphasis in normal writing. Also, flavor words of other languages (like "Tagmata", for example), will be standard, not italicized. }

------

Senator Bubba Azizid:


Upon entering the palace, a letter would have been given by an eunuch from Senator Bubba. It is written in Mongolian and then rewritten in Greek, by the same hand.

Honored Senators, Sheikhs, and Emirs of the Roman Kurultai, Servants of Angelos and Friends of Holy Khagan Augustus, Ceasar Markos the Saint:

I hope that you can forgive my absence from the Blue Khural. I was raised on the belief that punctuality was obediance to God and I am ashamed to have been unable to appear before you at the properly ordained time. Sadly, my cousin, Louie Azizid, a Stavrophoros monk of the Holy Church has been assasinated by the wicked, unholy Lords of the Sky for his discrete mission work in the lands of Mongolyn Ezent Güren. He rests in Yesüs now, and I have just finished observing his burial vigil. I will arrive as quickly as I can ride and I look forward to meeting all of you soon. I will bring a special delicacy for all of you, which, in my culture, is a sign of friendship and trust. It also tastes really good.

The Angeloi protect!
-BUBBA AZIZID​


-

The horse of Bubba Azizid pulled up outside the meeting place, as the Senator was picked up and lowered off the horse by several eunuchs and slaves who were expecting him. No one noticed the doors of the gathering place open and shut quietly, not did they know a new face was among them. Bubba Azizid, the first active Senator of his line, limped in and down the corridors to the meeting place of the Blue Demes. Several Church bodyguards- to protect him from the Tengri assassins that have claimed so many of his family -escourted him with numerous glass jars. He entered, saying a quick prayer and making the Sign of the Cross. As he passed by, he greeted each slave and eunuch and asked how their day was before thanking them for their service.

The Senator finally cleared his throat to greet his fellow men. He smiled widely at the men with a sincere, almost naive look you'd expect on any Christian missionary.

"Greetings, nökers, fellow Romans and servants of the Holy Khagan Angeloi! My name is Bubba Azizid and I represent House Azizid in the Kurultai of the Imperium. I hope that each of you have had a good day, and may you and your House all be blessed by the Lord God and His Son. You gentlemen may know of my family for their evangelism. We are the spearhead of the Kingdom of God on the steppes, spreading the Gospel to former Horde subjects and converting them to true Roman Christians. My oldest brother is an archbishop near Azerbaijan, east of Armenia and my youngest brother is currently a monk."

Bubba smiled and clasped his hands as he finished his introduction. He spoke his Greek with a very thick Mongolian accent, clearly showing that he, like almost all of the peasantry in eastern Rome, learned Mongolian before Greek.

Bubba was a sight to behold. He was well tanned and had long black curly hair, tied in braids { see the Steppe Portraits in CK2 } clearly indicating a bloodline from Aegyptus, but otherwise, his definitively slanted, squinty eyes, his thin face, and his more petite build made his Mongolian heritage obvious to anyone. He was wearing a traditional Deel, the robes that Romans recognized from the Romans in the eastern Themata and their enemies in the dreaded Horde. It was white with a purple sash around his waist. He also wore an Orthodox cross around his neck that rested on his chest (a gift from his late cousin, a monk). Bubba noticably walked with a limp- he had been crippled since birth -and leaned on a cane as he stood. His headgear was a proper Mongol headress colored white and topped with a cross.

The best way to summarize the wardrobe of Bubba was a Romanized version of a Mongol chieftan dressed to elect the next Khagan of the Horde. This was the formal dress for his entire family and the same wardrobe Bubba wore when he kneeled before the Roman Emperor and accepted his position as a Senator.

{ OOC: Did you know that Mongols never bathed and only had one outfit each for fighting, every day, and formal affairs? I didn't until I Googled it. }

As Bubba sat down, attempting to be hospitable, he was handed a jar by one of his bodyguards and he showed it to the gathered men.

"This is Kumis." he said, gesturing to the jar. "Where I come from, we share this drink with friends, associates, and colleagues who we absolutely trust. Water is hard to come by in the eastern Themata, so this is the primary drink of both the peasantry and nobility. I can assure you that the Holy Khagan Angeloi has personally tried it and he enjoyed it. It is fermented, so please drink in moderation. I will not be partaking in it because my father swore a Church oath that he and his sons would abstain from all fermented, alcoholic beverages."

He laid the Kumis on the table and was shown the opened letter. Taking some time to read the Cyrillic letters, he gave a puzzled look to it, wondering why the mythological, flaming tributary of the River Styx would have any relevance in Christian Rome.

Bubba quietly sat down in the nearest chair and laid his cane on the ground. An eunuch handed him some water in a fine chalice and Bubba thanked him accordingly.

"I have not yet declared my loyalty to any of the three groups in the Karultai, but I am most interested in the Blues because of their level headedness and better tolerance of fellow brothers in Christ not like them. I hope to engage in discussion on repaying our debts as soon as possible and on our colonization efforts. Could you please catch me up to speed on the current affairs of this meeting?"

He smiled again, hoping to make new friends and better Rome in the process.


{ OOC: "Holy Khagan Angeloi" is the term used by Romanized Mongols in the east to describe the Roman Emperor. "Khagan" is a Mongol emperor and is the highest title one can hold. }
 
{{ Well we know who might be the worst possible candidate for the Blues now :p }}

Senator Alexandros Raoul

*Alexandros was ready to answer Arrius when the door opened and Senator Azizid entered. He had heard he could come but he did not expect what he had just shown. Thankfully for this Good Christian he was amongst the Blues, not the Reds or Whites who would have surely wanted to burn him on the stake for half of the Steppe words he had heard there*
"Senator Azizid, it is a pleasure to meet you here. We were discussing who should speak for the Demes ; both Senators Arrius and Kastelos wish to get that honor." He then turns back to Senator Arrius to eventually give his answer. "Believe me or not but I think this whole letter was a test of our 'friend' and I can assure you did not pass it. How can you expect me to trust you when you open a letter from the Sacred Palace without even consulting your friends in politics ? If you continue in such hypocrisy then I will back Kastelos for you are clearly not worthy of such an honor. Admit your wrong, it's the least you could do."
Alexandros then goes to Senator Azizid : " I am sorry that you had to witness that as soon as you entered but some acts are hard to forgive. So what did you call this drink again ? I'll gladly taste it."

{{ My character like simple things in life, okay he is no drunkard :p }}
 
TurtleShroom said:
"This is Kumis." he said, gesturing to the jar. "Where I come from, we share this drink with friends, associates, and colleagues who we absolutely trust.
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{{It's "kumys" in Polish and it's similiar to "kefir" which is very good - I even have one in my fridge right now :)

43630.jpg


An impressive start for new character - I admire the level of detail and work you put in your Senator. This is top-notch role-playing effort, guys! You are welcome to follow Bubba's example ;)

One minor thing - in "Imperium Sine Fine" Cyrillic is long dead, what with Russia conquered by Mongols few hundreds years ago and so on. Latin alphabet is used in all Christian realms, while in the Imperium the Greek is more widespread among the common people and Latin (language + alphabet) is used mainly by administration, Church and educated men.

The letter in question was written in Latin.}}
 
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Senator Marcus Arrius

*Marcus ignores what Raoul said; a letter is simply a letter. There was no hidden test.*

Senator Azizid. I am happy you could attend. We have much to discuss... though I am most interested in your stance on Pisa. Do not take this as an insult, but I wish to use you as an example. You stand here as a Senator. To me, this means you are a true Roman, a man the Augustus trusts the fate of the Imperium. Your ancestors, however, would not have been welcomed here. A pity, I am sure, for the Imperium may have benefited from their knowledge. Do you believe we could do the same for Pisa, to bring them under the Imperium's protection and make them true Romans?

*Eyeing the drink Azizid brought with him, Marcus smiles.*

I thank you for the offer, but I do not drink myself. Perhaps your family and mine has more in common than it would seem.
 
{ OOC: Accidential double post. }
 
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Senator Bubba Azizid:

Bubba was startled when he was met with complaint for opening the letter. The seal was already undone and the letter seemed to have been read.

"That letter wasn't supposed to be read?" he said, somewhat saddened by his faux paus. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

Greetings were exchanged and Bubba greeted back. Business began almost immediately as the Mongoloid was asked about Pisa.

Bubba raised his eyebrows in surprise of the question. Pisa was greatly unsettling to him after he had heard of the horrors committed at Aegyptus at the hands of Pisan mercenaries.

"Pisa? In my tongue, Pisa is a khudaldaany ichee, a 'trade den', which is a term we use for dishonest peoples who trade on unweighted scales; the Bible tells us that the Lord detests unequal weights, and Yesüs Khristed knows they don't deal fairly. No one, Tenger or Khristed-itgegch, likes to do business with them. They're dirty and unclean as a whole."

He placed a hand on his chin, stroking his fast greying Fu Manchu mustache as he did so.

"Are they redeemable; salvagable? Well, nöker, any human being is capable of being reached by God. The modern founder of my dynasty converted to save his hide from the Roman Horde, but our Lord works in mysterious ways. Think of all the Romans of Mongol heritage who would never have assimilated and converted to the True Faith if it wasn't for his farce! Could the Pisans possibly turn and become not only Romans, but honest men? Should we ally with them?"

Bubba sighed.

"I can't answer that for certain. Official Church teachings tell us that the Xenoi are not human, that the Horde consists of unbelieving humans with souls, that the False Bishop of Rome is Hell-bound for his audacity, and that Catholics, Nestorians, Miaphysites, and Ceylonites alike are all equally Saved and equally part of the Body of Khristed. Only violent heretics are damned in the sight of God, such as those who tried to attack in Funj. I hold these teachings as truth, but I cannot possibly see how the Pisans are Khristed-itgegch. No one needs to be reminded of the atrocities committed against innocents during the sacking of Aegyptus by Pisan mercenaries, as well as the brutality they committed on my own people, lost and ignorant as they were, in the name of defeating their Horde overlords. I cannot stomach the idea of the largest Khristed-itgegch state under the sun ever siding with a nation who so willingly butchers their fellow Khristed-itgegch and sells them to Xenoi demons with less care than a settler would treat his steed. The Pisans had been in bed with Xenoi for centuries and were eager to do business with them over us. We've fought bloody wars recapturing Italia from them and we need not look further than the Embargo War for reasons why we should not flip-flop on our opposition to them."

He paused for breath and contined.

"No Mongol trusts a Pisan. If Mongolyn Ezent Güren doesn't do business with their men, knowing their dishonesty, should Rome trust them? Pisa's pastures should be for Roman horses to graze, and their people should be protected under the holy banner of the Khagan Angeloi. -but despite what the men in the Red[/I] Khural demand, we cannot go to war with Pisa now, not until we pay these loans off. I can personally imagine Pisa as a loyal, Orthodox Otogu Bo'ol where its dark and sexual elements are cleansed. The Merchant Republic structure of the Pisans is hugely valuable, and subjugating them without totally absorbing their structure and traditions would make us very wealthy."

Bubba shook his head.

"The Pisans are redeemable as people, like all men, but it'd take a lot of sunlight to cleanse the sins and vice amongst their government. Pisa has a rich history and we are in dire need of a proper Merchant Republic serving us and giving money. We should war Pisa not to annex them, but vassalize them, in time. Pisa as an Otogu Bo'ol is better than annexing Pisa because of their monetary brilliance... -but that's for a later time"

He smiled.

"The most important obligation is paying our debts, including those to the Pisans. We should prioritize that over anything and everything else. Then, we can focus on colonization and the Church. This may seem controversial here, but I am greatly troubled by the recent attempts to reign in the Patriarchial Authority. That should be maximized, for the sake of the one we all serve."

Addressing one Senator's request for some Kumys, Bubba smiled and poured some into two fine chalices. A slave picked them both up and handed them to the Senator who asked for some and brought the other back. Bubba whispered something to the slave, and the slave began thanking him. He had allowed the slave to drink the rest of the chalice and then refill it with the other half of the drink, since he had plenty.

-----

{ OOC: @CzokletMuss, you should strongly consider vassalizing Pisa instead of annexing them. Imagine a vassal Pisa contributing so much money to you, remaining as a Merchant Republic! Also, don't culture convert, that's not only unrealistic, it is contrary to how Rome actually worked in RL. Lastly, has anyone seen the deformed Imperial Baby yet? Would anyone in the Church know about that? }
 
Senator Marcus Arrius

So you agree that there is hope for the Pisans? Good. I would prefer we act now, as we cannot know when the Xenoi will decide to attack their former puppet. Bringing them into the fold without destroying their government... Yes, I can see how that could be more beneficial to the Imperium's economy than simply making Pisa kneel. {{If possible, I'd be fine with making them vassals. If not, I still say annex.}}

While you and I can see the benefits of a Pisa under the Imperium's guidance, I must disagree with your thoughts on the Patriarchial Authority. The Imperium simply cannot afford the costs demanded by the Church for now. Perhaps in time, things could go back to the way it was... but we live in today, where the Church must be reigned in.

Tell me, Azizid. Are you in agreement with the Blue Demes that we should fund another expedition and make contact with Serica? For that matter, do you have any opinion as to who should be our Speaker?

{{What do we call a Blue Deme with some White beliefs? Sky-blue? Ice?o_O}}
 
Senator Alexandros Raoul :

"It seems Senator Arrius, that your proposal of allying Pisa is shared by no one here and I do not imagine it will be otherwise among the Reds and the Whites."

"Senator Azizid, what do you think of our proposal to help the Imperial economy ? We all agreed on a Law concerning the Merchants of Weapons (+% trade efficiency, -% army maintenance) although I earlier proposed a Law on the Roman Debt where chosen merchants would buy some parts of the Roman debt at a lower interest in exchange of more flexibility on the market (+%trade, - interest per annum)"
 
{{ BTW I'd suggest Lex Negotiatores Armorum (Law of the Weapon Merchants) for our policy since we have a tradition of naming in Latin the laws in this AAR. I'm not that confident in my Latin though }}
 
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{ OOC: SHOOT! DOUBLE POST! I'm sorry! }
 
{ OOC: @CzokletMuss , I found a glossary of Imperial Mongolian terms used un the Dark Ages. Several of the words I used in this story come from it and I am certain it'll be of use to you! }

"I support the idea of lowering the costs of maintaining the Roman Horde, but I think it would be wiser to tie the means of reducing Interest per annum to the cost of maintenance. I propose a monopoly on contracts for smiths supplying our Hordes their armor. Perhaps if we give favored smiths preferential treatment and payments to supply our men, they could in turn purchase Roman bonds at a discount?"

{ OOC: I propose tying the Army Maintenance cost to the Lower Interest Per Annum cost instead of trade and lowered interest.}

Bubba smiled to Arrius.

"There's no question that I support an expedition! We Mongols long to expand, but as Romans, we need to focus on the safer lands rather than trying to resettle Xenoi states before God ordains the oppurtunity. See how we recaptured Aragon? That was because of Xenoi weakness. That was a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and a blessing from God. Colonization, however, is a constant oppurtunity we should doggedly persue. Our Hindustani brothers and sisters in[/I] Khristed should not only be protected, but expanded. Not now, of course, but we should maintain Ceylon as an autonomous land and help them conquer the rest of Hindustan before we formally integrate their land."

{ OOC: I support keeping expanding Ceylon a vassal to feed them! }

He nodded.

"I actually have a plan of my own, though. I may be biased, but the most important weapon in our Hordes are our horses. My people know that a war is won on horseback. Mongolid Romans have helped us innovate our calvary, but I say we need to go further. We need breeding networks, stable upgrades, and a whole infrastructure for breeding the finest steeds on God's earth. We'd save money and create scores of jobs, as well as potential oppurtunities of bonding between man and horse. Do you gentlemen know the privelege of knowing your horse like a pet? Clyde out there is my sidekick and I don't know what I'd do without him."

He paused.

"Better horses mean faster horses, and faster horses mean agile horses. Agile horses can navigate alien terrain and run circles around enemies. I propose we use our calvary to explorer colonies instead of infantry. We'll need less men, albeit more horses, and we can use smaller and faster ships if we do so."

{ OOC: I propose a new policy. Lower Calvary Maintenanc Cost and expand Colonial Range. It's not the best policy, but I had to go with IC to justify Colonial Expansion. I also support Exploration Ideas when we can. }

"As for the leader, I don't know anyone here well, and I don't need that sort of glory. I'll let you gentlemen choose our leader and I will gladly follow him."

Bubba leaned back in his chair and grinned, pleased at the kindness of his colleauges.
 
{{ The problem from a gamey perspective about your first policy is that there is no "diplomatic" part in it. The first part is red, the second white so how can we say it's Blue in the end ? :p
And the second is pretty unefficient in the same terms. But let's not get too gamey. }}
 
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Senator Marcus Arrius

Azizid, I see strength in your proposal, but our own faction does not benefit from it. For now I support Raoul's; perhaps yours could be used in the future.

Well, it seems we are all in agreement that the expedition should be funded and the Imperium should attempt to make contact with Serica. The majority of those present are against my thoughts for Pisa, so I will agree with my faction unless the Reds or Whites are in favor of it for whatever reason. On the matters the Augustus has provided us, I believe we have reached a consensus on all but one... I had hoped my fellow Blues saw that I could serve as Speaker, but those here today are all indifferent save for Raoul and Kastelos. I take it neither of you have changed your mind?
 
{{Is it possible to send messages to Senators of any faction during a faction meeting, even if you are not involved in that faction particularly?}}
 
Senator Leon Cortez

Luis turns to greet Bubba. "Welcome, Senator Azizid, and while I do not take issue with what you said, I would recommend for your sake and the sake of our demes as a whole, to not refer to our army as a horde at the senate session. The reds may be insulted, and the whites' tiny brains may very well explode trying to comprehend that idea, calling the emperor Khagan, while not an incorrect term, might also be accused as heresy. The saying "When in Rome" applies to the queen of cities as well."

The senator turns to the rest of the gathering, "Apologies for the digression, as for the matter of Serica, I regret to have to have a 'white' opinion of this, but the imperium is surrounded by three massive empires, all of which are as much a danger to the imperium as they are to one another. How should we know this new empire would help us?"
 
{{This teal senator is giving me a headache. If he uses his horse-lord-terms during the session, my character will try his utmost to get him drawn and quartered for heresy (can't burn him because he is a Christian missionary). Would that be ok, @CzokletMuss? Clearly these heretical terms have no place in the most Roman halls of magnaura.

That said, he is truly glorious. Proposing non-blue policies for the blues? Check. Wanting to power up the Church? Check. Destroying the blues from within, magnificient. If he will survive, he may yet be the first useful blue for the session :D }}
 
TurtleShroom said:
{ OOC: @CzokletMuss, you should strongly consider vassalizing Pisa instead of annexing them. Imagine a vassal Pisa contributing so much money to you, remaining as a Merchant Republic! Also, don't culture convert, that's not only unrealistic, it is contrary to how Rome actually worked in RL. Lastly, has anyone seen the deformed Imperial Baby yet? Would anyone in the Church know about that? }
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{{@TurtleShroom - you don't have to write OOC every time you speak out of character, just use double brackets -> {{ text }}

Vassalizing Pisa would be better than outright annexation, I agree. Italian is a tolerated culture in the Imperium but bonuses to trade seem to be worth keeping the Republic as a vassal, at least for the time being. However, the CB would be used mainly to squezee money out of Pisa - AFAIK war reperations would be worth c. 10 ducats/month.

Nobody has seen the porphyrogennetos, who's kept in Angelokastron now and there is no way anyone could find out the secret. There surely are rumors considering him, as well those concerning his brother's untimely death during hunting...}}

TurtleShroom said:
{ OOC: @CzokletMuss , I found a glossary of Imperial Mongolian terms used un the Dark Ages. Several of the words I used in this story come from it and I am certain it'll be of use to you! }
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{{Glorious, this will surely be of some use to me! :) I found few Nahuatl-English dictionaries several months ago and they proved to be very helpful.}}
Teutonic King said:
{{Is it possible to send messages to Senators of any faction during a faction meeting, even if you are not involved in that faction particularly?}}
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{{Hmm. Well, you can send a message but they can't answer because role-playing is allowed only during Faction Meeting (for members of the Demes) and during Senate Session (for everyone). So yeah, go ahead but don't expect answer before the Session.}}
ThetrueColt said:
{{This teal senator is giving me a headache. If he uses his horse-lord-terms during the session, my character will try his utmost to get him drawn and quartered for heresy (can't burn him because he is a Christian missionary). Would that be ok, @CzokletMuss? Clearly these heretical terms have no place in the most Roman halls of magnaura.

That said, he is truly glorious. Proposing non-blue policies for the blues? Check. Wanting to power up the Church? Check. Destroying the blues from within, magnificient. If he will survive, he may yet be the first useful blue for the session :D }}
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{{The presence of Senator Azzizid within Sacred Palace surely is going to be controversial - after all, all Mongols who entered the Konstantinoupolis so far were either slaves or captives and most of them were brought here for a triumph on Hippodrome and later executed. Current Emperor is quite tolerant as you surely noticed but this doesn't mean everyone will welcome Bubba with open arms - quite the contrary. I'm sure however that by allowing TurleShroom's House to join the Senate this and subsequent sessions will be much more interesting ;) }}
 
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